In a faraway place, on the edge of a desert, live two dear friends
their children. Life goes on quietly and simply, until a drought
it turns everything upside down. Karen, the shepherd's son, sets out on a journey to
brings life back to their land and is faced with a great
challenge.
A fairy tale hymn to friendship, solidarity and retribution
of kindness.
The rendering of the text and the drawings are by Dimitra Psychogyou.
I found this story, written in English, in an antique store and
I was shocked. Then I wondered why a simple folk tale touched me so deeply. The answer came immediately. I found myself in the friendship of the farmer and the shepherd that is so strong.
I too have the taste of the infinite love of my friends, generosity and solidarity through a great adventure that I experienced. My friends became "the farmer" who embraced me, and I "the shepherd" who learned to receive and overflow with gratitude, became "the birds" who made a firewall so that "King Khan" would not overwhelm me. My friends became "Karen" and opened the cages to release all my enslaved bitterness.
My friends are like "Ariana", beautiful inside and out, who each planted a little seed and a magical garden was made, where anything can happen. Now imagine if the earth were filled with such gardens of people. I will never stop praying for this miracle and I hope this book will be my own seed of gratitude for the warmth I received!
- Dimitra Psychogyou
Folk oral histories are, for the most part, simple and full
beauty and tenderness, they pass from mouth to mouth, from generation to generation, in all societies and reflect the cultural identity, customs and traditions of a country.
The ethnic and geographical diversity of Iran – Persia, as
they call the country to this day – it justifies the existence of one
of a huge cultural treasure, from folk tales to stories and
poems saved thanks to ordinary people.
The traditional fairy tale "the gift of the birds" performed by Dimitra Psychogyou, belongs to the folk stories of Iran, with rich messages of love and kindness and the lessons we can learn from ordinary people, who with dignity and always guided by love, they prioritize moral values and respect. The fairy tale is lost in the depths of time and is passed from generation to generation with different elements, different protagonists and different symbolism and messages.
The historic Sazde Garden, in the ancient city of Kerman, a gem in the
heart of the desert, was the first image that projected before me while reading this wonderful story. The amazing illustration by Dimitra Psychogyou adds special value to this beautiful tale, the messages of which refer to a Saadi poem about kindness.
"Do the right thing and throw it in the Tigris River!
Be sure that God
he will repay you in the wilderness!”
- Ali Karadzi Professor of Persian Language
